This study focuses on the analysis and assessment of competitiveness within the Uruguayan broiler industry. Porter's (1990) 'national diamond' was selected as the appropriate framework for analysis and was applied to the six major Uruguayan broiler firms. This research reveals that the unique characteristics of the Uruguayan broiler industry are successfully accommodated within the selected framework to explain the success of the broiler industry against other meat substitutes. Therefore, this study has confirmed Porter's (1990) diamond system as an adequate conceptualization of success in the Uruguayan broiler industry. These results are consistent with those found in the existing literature, lending support to the view that Porter's (1990) model seems to be applicable to developing countries such as Uruguay. However, some modifications of the model are required to fully explain the progress of this industry. This research project presents an adaptation of Porter's (1990) 'diamond' to the singularities of the firms investigated in this study. This study opted for an industry-level case study research strategy that is operationalized through in-depth personal interviews with owner directors and managers in six of the seven possible organizations within Uruguay. This is augmented by further data collection (additional interviews) through sources in government and market relevant bodies in order to generate information on the national context. The selected research method showed its utility for the investigation of weaknesses and strengths within the Uruguayan broiler industry. These findings were used to accomplish the second objective of this research which was to elaborate policy recommendations out of the primary and secondary collected data that would help Uruguayan broiler firms to compete with international broiler firms in a regional economic block (MERCOSUR) without barriers.

Les autorités communautaires ont toujours eu une approche très pragmatique du droit, utilisant ce dernier comme un outil afin d4atteindre les objectifs de l4Union européenne et notamment la réalisation du marché intérieur. La thèse examine le cas particulier du marché de la pièce de rechange automobile et propose une évaluation des moyens mis en oeuvre sur ce secteur. L'étude s'articule alors autour de deux grands principes : la nécessité de renforcer la concurrence sur lemarché et la limitation progressive des droits de propriété intellectuelle sur ces produits.De par son importance tant économique que sociétale, le marché automobile s'est vu traité spécifiquement par le droit communautaire de la concurrence. Au sein de ce secteur, le marché de la pièce de rechange automobile jouit d'un régime particulier depuis le règlement d'exemption catégorielle n° 1400/2002 ; et la rédaction du nouveau règlement n'a fait que réaffirmer avec force la singularité de ce marché. Ainsi, alors que le marché des véhicules neufs revient, après plus d'unquart de siècle, au sein du régime général, le marché secondaire maintient son statut particulier dans le règlement n° 461/2010.De plus, le marché présente une autre particularité avec les pièces de rechange visibles (carrosserie, lanternerie, etc.) qui bénéficient, en France, d'un cumul de protection au titre du droit des dessins et modèles et du droit d'auteur. Ces droits assurent un monopole de droit et de fait aux constructeurs automobiles. Il serait donc nécessaire d'admettre et de tendre vers leur limitation pour assurer laréalisation du marché. / The European authorities have always had a very pragmatic approach to law, using it as a tool to achieve the goals of the European Union, such as the completion of the internal market. This thesis discusses the specific situation of the automotive spare parts market and assesses the resources deployed for this sector. This study is thus grounded on two main principles: the need to reinforce the competition within the market and the gradual limitation of intellectual property rights on thoseproducts.Due to its economic and social importance, the automobile sector has had special treatment under community competition law. Within this sector, the spare parts market has been separately regulated since block exemption regulation n° 1400/2002; and the draft of the new regulation only reaffirmed the specificity of the market. As a result, the new vehicle market has been reintegrated, after over a quarter century, into the general arrangement, while the secondary market maintains its specific status pursuant to regulation n° 461/2010.Furthermore, this market presents another distinctive characteristic shared by the visible spare parts market (bodywork, headlights, etc.) which benefits, in France, from the dual protection of industrial design right and copyright. Those rights ensure car manufacturers a de jure and de facto monopoly. One should therefore acknowledge them and work toward limiting them in order to complete the internal market.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the origin, source characteristics, evolution petrogenesis and emplacement mechanisms of Beypazari-Oymaaga&ccedil / granitoids. These granitoids are intruded into a metamorphic basement and nonconformably overlain by Neogene clastic rocks. Field work, petrographical and geochemical studies are carried out to determine the petrologic features and tectonic setting of the granitoid body. The Beypazari-Oymaaga&ccedil / pluton is a composite pluton with its host batholith, enclaves, aplite dykes and a pegmatite. The batholith is generally composed of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase and hornblende. Field observations and petrographic investigations indicate that the host batholith has granodiorite composition and shows distinct differences in the abundances of quartz, amphibole minerals (e.g., hornblende) and of enclaves. The samples taken from TavuktaSi Tepe contain relatively less amphibole and enclaves but more quartz. Compared with them, samples from the rest of the batholith have relatively abundant amphibole, K-feldspar megacrysts, and enclaves but less quartz. Enclaves derived from magma mixing/mingling processes are dioritic in composition. Geochemical data obtained from whole rock analyses show that the pluton is shallowly emplaced and has calc-alkaline, metaluminous to peraluminous chemistry. It is characterized by enrichments in LIL and LREE, especially in K, Rb and Th. Although, there is a distinct petrographic variation in the batholith, the geochemical characteristics are uniform throughout the pluton. The Oymaaga&ccedil / Granitoids which have I-type identity are typical representatives of magmatic arc environment. The present study suggests that the possible source of magma is the upper crust and can be compared with the coeval volcanism in Galatean Volcanic Arc.

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The performance of nonstructural components in critical infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs), has been primarily based on experience and historical data. This topic has been attracting increased interest from researchers following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. This disaster demonstrated the importance of using batteries in NPPs as an auxiliary power system, where such systems can provide the necessary power to mitigate the risk of serious accidents. However, little research has been conducted on such nonstructural components to evaluate their performance following the post- Fukushima safety requirements, recommended by several nuclear regulators worldwide [e.g., Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC)]. To address this research gap, this dissertation investigates the lateral performance of an auxiliary battery power system (ABPS) similar to those currently existing/operational in NPPs in Canada. The ABPS was experimentally tested under displacement-controlled quasi-static cyclic fully-reversed loading that simulates lateral seismic demands. Due to the presence of sliding batteries, the ABPS was then tested dynamically under increased ground motion levels on a shake table. The experimental results demonstrated that the design guidelines and fragility curves currently assigned to battery rack systems in the FEMA P58 prestandards do not encompass all possible failure mechanisms. A 3D numerical model was also developed using OpenSees software. The model was validated using the experimental results. The model results showed that the lateral performance of ABPS with different configurations (i.e. different lengths, tiers, and seismic categories) is influenced by the capacity of the L-shaped connection between the side rails and the end rail. However, the model was not able to predict all the damage states from the dynamic experimental tests, since the rocking/sliding/impact behavior of the batteries is a highly complex nonlinear problem by nature and beyond the scope of this study. The model presented is limited to the assessment of the lateral performance of different ABPS statically. This dissertation demonstrated the difference between the observed behavior of laboratory-controlled lateral performance tests of ABPSs operational/existing in NPPs and the behavior of ABPSs found in the literature that relied on limited historical and experience data. Finally, this dissertation laid the foundations for the need to further investigate the behavior of other safety-related components in NPPs and assess their compliance with new post-Fukushima design requirements. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Des études d'associations pangénomiques ont démontré une relation entre le taux plasmatique de la vitamine B12 et le polymorphisme du gène FUT2 (fucosyltransferase 2). Dans des modèles expérimentaux, le statut sécréteur pour FUT2 a été impliqué dans la susceptibilité à l'infection par Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Nous avons évalué l'influence du polymorphisme FUT2 461 G>A sur les marqueurs du métabolisme des monocarbones dans deux populations ambulatoires en Europe et en Afrique de l'Ouest ainsi que la possible association entre l'infection par H. pylori et le polymorphisme de FUT2. Nous avons mis en évidence une influence de FUT2 461 G>A sur le taux plasmatique de la vitamine B12 mais n'avons pas retrouvé d'influence du statut sérologique pour H. pylori sur cette association, du moins chez les sujets ambulatoires en Europe et en Afrique de l'Ouest. L'hyperhomocystéinémie est un marqueur de carence en donneurs de méthyle. Plusieurs travaux ont évalué le taux plasmatique de l'homocystéine au cours des maladies inflammatoires chroniques de l'intestin (MICI) et ont abouti à des résultats mitigés. Par ailleurs, l'ampleur de l'association entre le métabolisme de l'homocystéine et les MICI reste méconnue. Nous avons réalisé une méta-analyse afin : (i) d'évaluer l'association entre le métabolisme de l'homocystéine et les MICI et (ii) d'étudier le risque de thrombose lié à l'hyperhomocystéinémie au cours des MICI. Le risque d'hyperhomocystéinémie était significativement plus élevé chez les patients avec une MICI en comparaison aux sujets contrôles. L'évaluation du risque de thrombose associé à l'hyperhomocystéinémie au cours des MICI requiert des études complémentaires. Un statut carencé en folates était associé à un impact plus fort du polymorphisme MTHFR C677T sur le risque primaire de MICI. L'hyperhomocystéinémie et plusieurs polymorphismes sur les gènes du métabolisme des monocarbones sont associés au risque primaire et à la sévérité de la maladie de Crohn (MC). L'hyperhomocystéinémie augmente l'activité de la superoxyde dismutase (SOD), un marqueur fiable et validé du stress oxydatif. A l'aide d'un SNP array Illumina exhaustif du métabolisme des monocarbones, nous avons (i) étudié les déterminants génétiques (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) associés au taux plasmatique de l'homocystéine et de la SOD chez des patients suivis pour une MC et (ii) recherché les SNPs associés à l'âge du diagnostic de la MC. Deux SNPs étaient indépendamment associés au taux plasmatique de l'homocystéine (MTHFR, AHCY). Cinq SNPs étaient indépendamment associés au taux plasmatique de la SOD. Parmi ces cinq SNPs, trois sont liés à la vitamine B12 (FUT2, CUBN, et TCN2), un aux folates (GGH), et un dernier à la synthèse cellulaire de l'homocystéine (AHCY). Par ailleurs, nous avons mis en évidence deux SNPs associés à un âge précoce du diagnostic de la MC (CHDH, ABCB1). / Genome wide association studies demonstrated an association between plasma vitamin B12 and FUT2 (fucosyltransferase 2). It has been suggested that the association between FUT2 and low plasma vitamin B12 level may be the consequence of an increased susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. We evaluated the association between FUT2 461G>A polymorphism and vitamin B12 and investigated whether the influence of FUT2 on H. pylori serology is part of the mechanisms that underlie this association, in two populations from Europe and West Africa. In this study we confirmed the influence of FUT2 461 G>A polymorphism on plasma vitamin B12 level and found no influence of H. pylori serological status on this association, at least in ambulatory subjects from Europe and West Africa. The magnitude of the association between homocysteine metabolism and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is unknown while the association between hyperhomocysteinemia and thrombosis remains controversial in IBD. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and performed a meta-analysis to examine these issues. The risk of hyperhomocysteinemia is significantly higher in IBD patients when compared to controls. The risk assessment of hyperhomocysteinemia-related thrombosis in IBD requires further investigation. Deficient folate status is associated with a higher impact of MTHFR C677T polymorphism on IBD risk. Hyperhomocysteinemia and several gene variants of one-carbon metabolism are associated with the occurrence and severity of Crohn's disease (CD). Hyperhomocysteinemia results in part from methyl donors deficiency - which is frequent in patients with CD - and increases the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), a validated and reliable marker of oxidative stress. We designed a 384-plex GoldenGate oligo pool assay for the comprehensive one-carbon metabolism genotyping using Illumina platform. The aims of this study were (i) to assess genetic determinants of plasma homocysteine and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in patients with IBD and (ii) to look for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with age at CD onset. Two SNPs were associated with plasma homocysteine level (MTHFR, AHCY). Five SNPs were independently associated with plasma SOD level. Of these five SNPs, three are related to vitamin B12 (FUT2, CUBN, and TCN2), one is related to folate (GGH), and the last one to homocysteine (AHCY). In addition, we identified two SNPs associated with early CD onset (CHDH, ABCB1)